Method of and apparatus for forming slugs and extruding tubes



H; FR|DEN METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING SLUGS AND EXTRUDING TUBES Filed May 28, 1954 a ShetS- -Sheet 1 ATTORNEY May 25, 1937. J. H. FRIDEN 2,081,175 7 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING SLUGS AND EXTRUDING TUBES Filed May 28, 1934 s Shqts-Sheet 2 Z3 25 94 J6- Z1 2 2 as 535 2 9a INVENTOR Joim Hiiridm BY May 25, 1937. m E 2,081,175

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING SLUGS AND EXTRUDING TUBES Filed May 28, 1934 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 uni:

' J5 ATTORNEY May 25, 1937. J. H. FRIDEN 3 L METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING SLUGS AND EXTRUD ING TUBES Filed May 28, 1934 s Sheets-Sheet} I i i j ale- 04 I "in" 'llhllly' INVENTOR 1 -f01u&HFE'idE1z BY I 4 ATTORNEY I May 25, 1937. J. H. FRIDEN 2,081,175

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING SLUGS AND EXTRUDING TUBES Fil ed May 28, 1934 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 as INVE)NTOR Jbhzz HHideIrz ATTORNEY May 25, 1937. .1. H. FRIDEN METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING SLUGS AND EXTRUDING TUBES Filed May 28, 1954 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 NWN ATTORNEY J. H. FRIDEN 2,081,175

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING SLUGS AND EXTRUDING TUBES May 25, 1937.

Filed May 28, 1934 8 Sheets-Sheet T v NTOR Jblmliii'z'd ATTORNEY May 25, 1937. m'E 2,081,175

, METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING SLUGS AND EXTRUDING TUBES Filed May 28, 1934. 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 INVENTOR Joknliii'ialq ATTORNEY Patented May 25, 1937 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR FORM- ING SLUGS AND EXTRUDING TUBES John H. Fridn, Maplewood, N. J., assignor to The Sun Tube Corporation, Hillside, N. J.. a corporation of New Jersey Application May 28, 1934, Serial No. 727,971

12 Claims.

This invention relates to the formation of slugs has particular reference to the formation of slugs for and the production of collapsible tubes from tin, lead, aluminum, or soft alloys of various metals or similar extrudable materials.

Heretofore it has been the common practice in the production of collapsible tubes to form them by a casting process or by stamping from a flat sheet. Cast slugs are extremely difficult to make uniform and without surface defects which are apt to produce cracks or other imperfections in the walls of extruded tubes. Furthermore, the grain of the metal in a cast slug .does not seem to be productive of the best results when extruded. Slugs stamped from rolled, flat sheets are more satisfactory but are expensive due to the production of a relatively large amount of.

90 scrap in the course of stamping.

According to the present invention slugs are formed from rolled or drawn stock without the production of scrap. In this way the combined advantages of the prior practices are obtained 25 without the disadvantages of either. The slugs are produced inexpensively, without surface defects and with the grain of .the metal arranged for best results in the extrusion operation.

More particularly the invention involves the 30 production of slugs from a continuous strip of wire, preferably round; although wire of any other convenient form of cross-section may be employed. The wire is severed into sections of appropriate length to form individual slugs and the sections are then pressed into slugs of desired thickness. These slugs need not be made truly circular nor of any specific, regular contour, although if the machine for producing the slugs is properly adjusted, a circular slug may be read- 0 ily formed. It will be found that, upon extrusion, tubes without imperfections and having uniform wall thicknesses will be produced even when slugs of irregular contour are used. The only effect of r the irregularity of the slugs is to'provide a slightly more irregular free edge at the upper end of the tube than is produced. by a strictly circular slug but this is not seriously objectionable due to the common practice of trimming a substantial portion from the end of the tube in finishing it for the market.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the detailed description of certain illustrative examples which will now be given '55 in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section along the line 3--3 of Figure 2.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section through the cutting and forming die.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation, on an enlarged scale, of a portion of the machine.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section showing, on an enlarged scale and in greater detail, a portion of the structure illustrated in Figure 2, but with the parts shifted.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged horizontal section similar to Figure 3, showing a modified construction.

Fig. 8 is a vertical section taken along the broken line 8-4 of Figure 7.

Fig. 9 is a horizontal section through a portion of a machine embodying a further modified construction and is taken along the line 9--9 of Figure 10, and

Fig. 10' is a vertical section along the line l0l0.of Figure 9.

.Referring now to Figures 1 to 6, inclusive, of the drawings, there is illustrated one form of machine capable of forming extrudable slugs in accordance with the present invention. The machine comprises a main frame structure It supporting, in a suitable bearing near its top, a shaft ll adapted to receive power from any convenient source, as by means of a pulley wheel l2, secured to one end of the shaft and connected by a belt to a powerline not shown. Adjacent its opposite end the shaft H carries a pinion l3 cooperating with a large gear ll secured to a shaft l5 that may be considered the main drive shaft' of the machine. As will be hereinafter explained, all of the operating portions of the machine are driven by suitable connections from this main drive shaft.

At the rear of the machine there is provided an auxiliary standard It (Fig. 2) secured in any convenient way to the main frame, or otherwise associated therewith, and arranged'to support a' shaft l1 adapted to carry a spool or drum l8 having wound thereon a suitable supply of the extrudable metal to be formed into slugs. This metal may conveniently be in the form of a round wire IQ of sumcient diameter to produce a slug of desiredsize when severed into appropriate unit lengths. If desired the wire may have other forms of cross section, although it is considered simplest to provide and deal with a round wire. Arms 20 secured to the standard ll-extend upwardly at an angle and carry at their outer ends a shaft 2| upon which is slidably and rotatably mounted a grooved guide-wheel or roller 22. The

wire as it is drawn from the spool is passed over the grooved guide-wheel, which is arranged to slide from side to side as the point from which the wire is withdrawn from the spool shifts in an axial direction. Any suitable braking means or the like, not shown, may be provided to prevent overrotation of the spool l6 as the wire is withdrawn, in the manner to be presently explained. Furthermore, if desired, any suitable type of straightening mechanism may be provided to remove the curl from the wire as it leaves the roller 22. After leaving the roller 22, or the straightening device, the wire is fed between a pair of grooved wheels or rollers 23 and 24, which constitute the *wire feed means. Roller 23 is carried by a shaft 25 mounted in suitable brackets 26 secured to the main frame of the machine. The roller 24 is carried by a shaft 21 rotatably mounted in the brackets 26. If desired the feed rollers may be arranged to slide along their supporting shafts in a manner similar to the roller 22 but ordinarily this will not be necessary.

For the purposeof rotating the shaft 21, it is provided with a pinion 28 (Fig. 6) adapted to mesh with a gear 29 secured to a shaft 30, also carried by the brackets 26. A ratchet wheel 3| secured to the shaft 30 is engaged by a pawl 32 urged by a spring 33 into engagement with the ratchet. The spring and pawl are suitably mounted upon a frame or yoke 34 pivotally carried by the shaft 36. A pivot pin 35 is adjustably mounted in an opening 36 extending 1on gitudinally of the yoke. To enable adjustment of the pin, it may be mounted upon a screw 31 provided with any suitable means for adjusting it and retaining it in any set position. The pin 35 serves to connect the yoke with a link 38 pivotally connected at its lower end, by means of a pin 33, to the end of an arm 46 secured to a rod orshaft 4!. An arm 42 also secured to this shaft carries a roller 43 adapted to engage the periphery of a cam 44 secured to-a shaft 451 A spring 46, connected at one end to the arm .40 and at its other end to a suitable point on the frame structure, serves to hold the roller 43 against the cam. As best shown in Figures 1 and 5, the shaft 45 carries a sprocket wheel 41 connected by a chain 46 with a similar sprocket wheel 49 se cured to the main drive shaft l5. The construction is such that upon each rotation of the shaft 15, one full revolution will be imparted to the shaft 45.

It will be apparent that as the shaft 45 is rotated clockwise from the position shown in Figure 6, the cam 44 will permit the spring 46 to rock the arms 40 and 42 in a clockwise direction to rock the frame 34 and thereby carry the pawl 32 idly over the teeth of the ratchet wheel 3|. Now, after the cam has rotated through approximately degrees from the position shown in Figure 6, the roller 43 will be gradually forced outwardly to rock the arm 40. and the frame 34 counter-clockwise and thus cause the pawl 32 to rotate the shaft 36 through a predetermined angle in a counter-clockwise direction. The extent of rotation of the shaft 30 may be varied by the adjustment of the pin 35 in the manner previously explained. As the shaft 30 is rotated,

.66 urge the latter downwardly and thus urge the upper roller under a considerable pressure against the wire.

Upon leaving the feed rollers the wire I9 is passed through a guide sleeve 53 extending" through the wall of a die holder 54 and through the wall of adie 55 suitably retained within the die holder. The feeding of the wire is preferably so regulated that upon each rotation of the shaft 45 a section of the wire of predetermined length will be fed across the opening in the die. Preferably this section will extend substantially completely across a diameter of the die opening.

If desired, the extent of feeding of the wire upon each cycle of the machine may be governed by the engagement of the end of the wire with the die wall and the feed rollers may then simply slip relative to the wire. It is normally preferred, however, to control the feed by means of the screw 31.

After a section of the wire has been introduced into the die in this manner, it is severed by the cooperation of a punch or plunger 56 with the edge of the die or the end of the sleeve 53. The punch is ofsubstantially the same diameter as the opening in the die so as to form a relatively tight fit with the die opening in its downward travel. For the purpose of reciprocating the punch, it is carried by a vertically slidable'head 51 and may be retained in the head by any suitable means, such as the setscrew 58, shown in Figure 2. The head 51 is mounted for vertical reciprocation between a series of guides 59 (Fig.

1),. One of a pair of toggle members 60 and 6| is pivotally connected to the head 51 while the other of these members is pivotally connected to a block 62. This block is held fixed during the operation of the machine but may be adjusted vertically to vary the position of the plunger 56 at the two ends of its stroke. For this purpose a wedge 63 is adapted to be forced between a fixed portion of the frame and the block 62, to any extent desired, upon rotation of a hand-wheel 64. To the pivot 65, between the toggle members, there is connected a link or yoke 66 mounted at its opposite end upon an eccentric portion 6'! of the shaft l5. Through this connection each rotation of the shaft l5 will cause a straightening and breaking of the toggle and will thus cause reciprocation of the head 51 and the plunger 56. After the plunger has severed the section from the end of the wire l9, it continues its downward movement toward the bottom of the die and squeezes the wire into a flattened slug, as best indicated in Figure 6. It will be apparent that the thickness of this slug may be varied by appropriate adjustment of the hand-wheel 64. If just sumcient metal is provided, the wire may be squeezed until it forms a substantially circular slug completely filling the area of the die. However, as has been previously stated, it is not essential that the slug be made completely circular inasmuch as a slug of somewhat irregular contour may be extruded into a satisfactory tube.

Afterthe slug has been formed, provision must be made for its removalfrom the die. For this purpose the bottom of the die is preferably formed by an enlarged head 68 at the upper end of a plunger 69 slidable vertically within a guide sleeve 10 passing through the bed of the machine and the die holder. A yoke II secured to the lower end of the plunger is pivotally connected to one end of a lever 12 pivoted at 13 upon the frame. The opposite arm of the lever "is connected, by .means of a yoke 14, with a vertically extending rod or link 15. At its upper end this rod is connected by a yoke 16 to an arm ll of a bell crank lever, the other arm 18 of which carries a roller I9 cooperating with a cam 60 secured to the shaft IS. A

spring 8| surrounding the rod 15 is confined between a nut 82 secured to the rod and a bracket 83 secured to the frame. Accordingly the spring 8I urges the rod downwardly and the roller I9 into engagement with the cam 80. By means of screwthreaded connections 84 and 85 at the two ends of the rod 15, the precise field of movement of the a V-shaped notch formed adjacent its outer end.

This arm is pivoted upon a stud 81 carried by the frame of the machine and is connected intermediate its ends with a rod 88, the opposite end of which is attached to an arm 89. This arm, pivoted at to the main frame, carries a roller 9I at an intermediate point arranged to engage a cam 92 secured to the shaft 45. A spring 98, surrounding the rod 88 and co-acting between a collar 94 secured to this rod and a bracket 95 secured to the frame, urges the rod toward the right, in Fig. 6, and thus holds the roller 9| against the cam 92. As a depression 96 in the cam is brought in line with the roller, the spring 98 urges the rod 88 toward the right (Fig. 6) and thusrocks the arm 88 from the dotted line to the full line position shown in Fig. 3. This occurs after the plunger 89 has been elevated to hold the slug adjacent the top of the die. The movement of the arm 86 may be such as to throw the slug into a chute or into any suitable form of container appropriately placed to receive the slug.

The operation of the machine just described should be clearly understood from the detailed description just given. However, the co-ordination of the several parts of the machine will now be briefly set forth. As the shaft n is continuously rotated by the belt and pulley drive, or by. any other convenient power means, the shafts I5 and 45 will be rotated in synchronous relation.

Shaft 45, through the action of cam'44,-will rock the frame 34 upon each rotation to turn the ratchet wheel 3| through a predetermined distance ina counter- -clockwise direction (Fig. 6). This will rotate the feed roller 24 in a clockwise direction through a corresponding distance. By the action of the upper feed roller 28 bearing downwardly upon the wire, the latter will be fed forwardly to an extent equivalent to the rotation of the roller 24. The forward end of the wire will be passed into the die opening and will extend substantially across the same. Punch or plunger 58 will at this time move downwardly to engage the wire and sever the end which extends beyond the guide sleeve 88. Upon continued downward movement of the plunger, the severed section of wire will be pressed into a flat, substantially circular slug. As'the plunger 88 rises, the plunger 89 will also -be lifted by the action of cam 80 and spring 8| and the slug will thus be raised to the upper surface of the die. Thearm 86 will then be operated under the control of the cam 92 to eject the slug from the machine. It will.

be understood that the various cams for controlling the diiferent portions of the mechanism are so formed as to properly time the movements of the various parts so as to avoid any interference in their operations.

' the end of the wire.

Referring now to Figures 7 and'B, there is illus-- trated a modified construction in which the severing of small sections from the end of a strip of wire is performed by a separate tool from that employed to flatten the severed section into a slug. In this machine the strip of wire I00 maybe fed from a roll, just as in the machine described above, and may be drawn from the roll by means of a pair of grooved feed rollers IOI and I02, similar to the rollers 28 and 24. The mechanism for driving the lower feed roller I02 may comprise a rocking frame I08 carrying a pawl I04 adapted to operate upon a ratchet wheel and drive the roller through suitable gearing, in the manner explained in connection with roller 24. The frame I08 is connected by a link I05 with an arm I06 secured to a shaft I01 which in turn has another arm I08 carrying a roller I09 arranged to engage the periphery of a cam IIO. This cam is carried by of the first machine and may be driven through similar connections from the main. drive shaft.

A spring I I2 connected with the arm I00 andwith a'portion of theframe serves to hold the roller I09 against the cam. Itwill be apparent that upon each rotation of the shaft I I I, the wire I00 will be advanced a predetermined extent.

The free end of the wire is passed through an opening in a guide block I I8 secured'to the frame. The receiving end of the opening is preferably flared, as indicated at II4, so as to freely .receive'the end of the wire. As the strip is fed forward, it is brought into engagement with a stop 5 secured to the block H8. In order to permit adjustment of the stop, it is preferably provided with elongated slots, as shown in Figure '7, cooperating with screws H6. The arrangement is preferably such that the wire I00 is fed, upon each rotation of the shaft III, just a suflicient distance to carry the end of the wire from a, point adjacent the right-hand end of the Y block II8 (Fig. 8) into engagement with thestop, the feed roller I02 may simply be allowed 1 to slip slightly relative to the wire. A vertically reciprocating head II1 (Fig. 10), similar to the head 51, carries a cutter I I8 held in position on the head by means of a setscrew 8. As the head descends, upon operation of the toggle mechanism explained in connection with Fig. 2, the cutter cooperates with the end of the block II8 to sever the small protrudingsectionfrom This section then drops into a trough I20 secured to the end of the block II8.

Means are provided for transferring the severed section from a point below the cutter to the opening in a die I2I carried by a die holder I22. For this purpose a reciprocating rod I28 'is provided. This has an extension I24 secured to its top adapted to engage over the upper surface of the severed section lying within the trough I20. By this arrangement, as the rod is shifted toward the right (Fig. 8) the severed section is shifted to a point directly over the opening of the die and it is held in a horizontal position by the extension I24 until it is placed squarely over the die opening. The rod I28 is secured to a slide I25 mounted in a suitable passageway pro- 'vided in the frame. At its left end (Fig. 8) the slide carries a plvotally mounted, jsquare block I28 arranged to cooperate with an elongated opening I2'I at the upper end of an arm I20. This arm is pivotally mounted upon a shaft I29 and carries intermediate its ends a roller I30 adapted to engage the periphery of a cam I3I. A spring I32, which is connected at one end to the arm I28 and at its opposite end to a portion of the frame, serves to hold the roller against the cam. Upon each revolution of the shaft III, the slide I25 is reciprocated to transfer the severed section from beneath the cutter to the die opening, in the manner explained.

Cooperating with the die is a plunger I33 mounted in any suitable way upon the reciprocating head Ill. The arrangement is such that as the cutter H0 severs a section from the end of the wire, the plunger I33 simultaneously presses and flattens a previously severed section to form a slug. After the slug has been formed it is lifted to the top of the die by means of a plunger I34 operated in the same manner as the plunger 69 of the first embodiment.

As the slug is brought to the top of the die, it may be ejected from the machine by means of a bell-crank I35 pivoted at I36 upon the die holder. This bell-crank has a curved surface I3'I adjacent the end of one arm adapted to engage the slug as the bell-crank is oscillated and thus throws the slug into a bucket or other suitable receptacle located nearby. For the purpose of rocking the bell-crank, it is provided with an elongated slot connected with a pin I38 carried by a'yoke- I39 secured to a rod I40. At its opposite end this rod is connected by a yoke I4I to the upper end of an arm I42 mounted upon the shaft I29. A roller I43 carried by this arm engages the periphery of a cam I44 secured to the shaft III. A spring I 45, surrounding the rod I and" having one end engaging .a collar I46 secured to the rod and'its other end engaging a lug I4'I extending from the frame, serves to hold the roller I43 against the cam. As the cam rotates, a bump I48 is brought into engagement with the roller and draws the rod I40 toward the left (Fig. 7) against the action of spring I and thus rocks the bell-crank to throw the slug in the manner explained.

A further modification is illustrated in Figures 9 and 10. The machine of this embodiment is in most respects the same as that just described butv it is provided with an extrusion punch so that the slug may not only be formed but it may be extruded into a collapsible tube upon the same machine. provided for transferring the slug formed in the die I2I of Figure 8 to a die from which the tube may be extruded. A lever I49 is pivoted at I50 upon the die holder and at its outer end is con-.

' nected with the rod I40 of the construction i1- ed, upon rocking of the lever, to engage the slug lustrated in Figure 7. The opposite end of the lever is provided with a curved surface I5I adaptstop I5 5 which may be adjusted, to accommodate slugs of slightly different diameters, by means of screws I56 cooperating with elongated slots in the st'op;- The stop is so arranged and the stroke 'of the lever I49 is so regulated that at the end For this purpose means have been' .punch I58, carried by a rockable member I59 on the head Ill and held in place in said member by a setscrew I60, is adapted to extrude the slug into a suitable tube upon the downward movement of the head Ill. The member I59 may be mounted upon the head and may be rocked during the reciprocation of the head in the manner explained in my co-pending application Serial Number 650,850 filed January 9, 1933. This enables the discharge of the extruded tube by a suitable air-blast when the punch is tilted into the dotted line position shown in Figure 10. 'A knockout pin I6I and related mechanism'may be provided, as more fully disclosed in my above mentioned pending application.

The machine just described operates in the following manner: As the head II'I 'rises to a point in which the cutter II8 clears the end ofthe wire I00, the latter is fed forwardly until its end engages the stop II5. During this time the plunger I33 is withdrawn from its die and the plunger I34 lifts the previously finished slug to the upper surface of the die. The arm I49 then operates to carry this slug against the stop I where it drops into the .opening in the die I5'I. As the head I I1 reaches the upper limit of its movement,

and during the initial portion of its downward movement, the rod I23 is reciprocated to transfer the previously severed section of wire from beneaththe cutter Hi! to the opening in the die I2I. In the meantime the plunger I34 will be returned to the bottom of this die. As the head III continues its downward movement, the rod I23 is retracted and the end of the cutter is brought into engagement with the wire to sever another section. Simultaneously, or soon after, the plunger I33 engages the previously severed section that has just been deposited in the die I2I and presses it into a fiat slug. At the same time the punch I56 engages the slug. formed on the previous operation and transferred to the die I51, to extrude it into tubular form.- The head II'I is then again retracted'and the same cycle of operations is repeated. It will be understood that the extruded tube is blown or otherwise removed from the punch I50 as the head I" approaches its upper limit of movement.

While several illustrative forms of construction, embodying and capable of carrying out the features of the present invention, have been disclosed in considerable detail, it will be understood that various changes may be made without departing from the general principles and scope of the invention. Features disclosed'in connection with one form may be adapted and applied to another of the forms of the invention disclosed.

What I claim is:

1. A method of forming a thin metal tube which comprises severing a section of desired length from a wire formed of extrudable material,

depositing said section on its side as distinguished from its end in a die, said section when so deposited filling only a portion of the cross-sectional area of the die, flattening the section within the die to form a slug substantially filling the area of the die, and forcing a punch against the slug to extrude the same.

2. A method of forming a thin metal tube which comprises severing a section of desired.

length from a wire formed of extrudable material, depositing said section on its side as distinguished from its endin a die, flattening the section within the die to form a slug, transferring each slug as it is formed to an extrusion die, and forcing a punch against the slug to extrude the same.

3. A method of forming thin metal tubes which comprises intermittently advancing a strip of extrudable material, severing successive sections of uniform length from the end of said strip, transferring the severed sections as they are formed to a die, pressing each section along its side as distinguished from its ends in said die to form a slug, lifting the slug so formed to the top of the die, transferring the slugs successively as they are formed to an extrusion die, and extruding the slugs from said die to form tubes.

4; In a machine for forming slugs to be ex truded into thin-walled tubular members, a main operating shaft, means operated by said shaft for advancing a strip of extrudable material a predetermined extent upon each cycle of the ma chine, said strip being in the form of a wire narrower and thicker than the desired slugs, means for severing a section from the end of said strip upon each cycle of operation, a die for receiving the severed section, means for successively transferring the sections from said severing means to said die, and means for pressing one of said sections in said die to flatten the same upon each cycle of the machine.

5. In a machine for forming slugs to be extruded into thin-walled tubular members, a main operating shaft, means operated by said shaft for advancing a, strip of extrudable material a predetermined extent upon each cycle of the machine, said strip being in the form of a wire narrower and thicker than the desired slugs, means for varying the distance through which said strip is advanced upon each cycle of operation, means for severing a section of variable length from the end of said strip upon each cycle of operation, die means for receiving the severed sections, means for transferring the sections from said severing means to said die means successively as they are formed, and means for pressing one of said sections in said die to flatten the sarrfe upon'each cycle of the machine;

6. In a machine for forming slugs to be extruded into thin-walled tubular members, a main operating shaft, means operated by said shaft for advancing'a strip of extrudable material a predetermined extent upon each cycle of the machine, said strip being in the form of awire narrower and thicker than the desired slugs, means for severing a section from the end of said strip upon each cycle of operation, an adjustable stop in the path of said strip beyond said severing means for definitely limiting each advance of the strip, the construction and arrangement being such that the severed section drops below said stop, a die for receiving the severed sections, a punch arranged to enter said die upon each cycle of operation to flatten said sections, and means for varying the extent of movement of said punch within said die.

7. In a machine for forming slugs to be extruded into thin-walled tubes, a main operating shaft, means operated by said shaft for advancing a substantially round, wire-like strip of extrudable material a predetermined extent upon each.

cycle of the machine, means for severing a section from the end of said strip upon each cycle of operation, a die for receiving the severed sections by gravity on their sides as distinguished from their ends, means for pressing one of said sections'in said die to flatten the same upon each cycle of the machine, means for lifting the flattened sections to the top of the die, and means for ejecting said flattened sections from the machine.

8. In a machine for forming slugs to be extruded into thin-walled tubular members, means for feeding a wire of extrudable material, means for severing sections of predetermined length from the end of said wire, a die arranged to receive said severed sections successively by gravity on their sides as distinguished from their ends, said die having a liftable bottom, means for pressing said sections in said die to flatten the sections into slugs. means for lifting the die bottom to the top of the die, and means for shifting the slugs from said die bottom when it is elevated.

9. In a machine of the class described strip feeding means, a pair of dies each having an opening therein, means for severing a section of predetermined length from the end of said strip and depositing the same in one of said dies, means including a member whose lower end is of substantially the same size and shape as the opening in said die for flattening said section in said die, means for transferring the flattened section to the other of said dies, and means for extruding the section as a tube from said other die.

10. In a machine of the class described strip feeding means, a pair of dies each having an opening therein, means for severing a section of predetermined length from the end of said strip, means for transferring the severed section to one of said dies, means including a member whose lower" end is of substantially the same size and shape as the opening in said die for flattening said section in said die, means for transferring the flattened section to the other of said dies, and means for extruding the section as a tube from said other die.

11. In a machine of the class described strip feeding meansQ-"apair of dies each having an opening thereinJ-means for severinga section of predetermined length from the end of said strip and depositing the same in one of said dies, means including a member whose lower end is of -.substantially the same size and shape as the opening in said die for flattening said section in' said die, means for transferring the flattened section to the other of said dies, and means for extruding the section as a tube from said other die, said severing, flattening and extruding means operating simultaneously upon different severed sec tions.

12. In a machine of the class described strip feeding means, a pair of dies, means for severing a section of predetermined length from the end of said strip and depositing the same in one of said dies, means for flattening said section in said die-means for transferring the flattened section to the other of said dies, means for extruding the section as a tube from said other die, and a common reciprocatory member carrying said severing, flattening and extruding means and simultaneously operating the same.

JOHN H. 

